ROYALS BOLSTER MIDFIELD OPTIONS
READING FC have confirmed the signing of Tyrese Fornah on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest.
The 22-year-old central midfielder spent the second half of last season on loan in League One at Shrewsbury Town, making 19 appearances for Steve Cotterill’s side.
Fornah was part of the Royals academy setup in his younger years before heading to the south coast with Brighton & Hove Albion.
He then joining Forest’s youth ranks in the summer of 2018.
He made his senior debut in the FA Cup against Chelsea, coming off the bench to replace former Royals loanee Alfa Semedo at Stamford Bridge.
A loan spell in Portugal with Casa Pia, cut short by the pandemic, was followed by a full season with Plymouth Argyle in 2020/21 where he went on to make 43 appearances for the newly-promoted League One side.
Fornah featured in the first team under Chris Hughton at the start of Forest’s promotion-winning campaign last year before arriving at New Meadow in January.
He made his Shrews debut as a substitute in a draw at Gillingham, before holding down a regular spot on the teamsheet to make a total of 17 starts for the Shropshire side.
Manager Paul Ince said: “Tyrese will add power, presence, vision and energy to our midfield and this is a loan move which I believe will benefit both him in developing his game at Championship level and the club with the ability he can bring to the squad.
“I am looking forward to working with him out on the training pitch.”
Fornah said conversations with Ince and head of football operations Mark Bowen helped influence his decision to join.
He said: “I spoke to Mark and the gaffer; they were really good with me, making me feel loved and like I’m going to be a part of it.
“That’s the main thing for a loan player.
“I want to come here and do well – but I want to feel loved. For me to do well, you need a bit of that.
Having spent time in Berkshire in the early stages of his career, Fornah is already familiar with some of his new teammates.
He said: “I was here in the Academy when I was 13 and some of the boys that were here then are still here now, like Tom Holmes who is a good friend of mine.
“I stayed in touch with him over the years, so it’s good to be back with him and it’s good to be here with the boys and the gaffer as well.”
After making his first appearance in Saturday’s friendly against Benfica, Fornah is looking to cement his place in the side for the new season.
He said: “The main thing for me is to come and play games.
“It’s no good sitting around at a club that’s doing well; you need games to progress.
“I’ll take it game by game, training session by training session and hope that that’s enough and that I do well.
“I just want to do well for the fans and for the club.”